Location: Claus’ headquarters to Nyhem’s Docks
Time: Late Afternoon, Week 3 and Day 1 after the party.
Collab with:
@JaisonJ97/
@TheDuncanMorgan,
@Klomster, and
@Fallenreaper
Kiseo’s hands clasped her cloak tightly to her. Underneath it, her fur held the bitter breeze at bay as it traveled across the autumn air. Her feet darted across the dirt path which led up to Claus’ new headquarters. She paused at the door and raised her head, her lower muzzle barely stuck out from under the hood. Feline eyes absorbed the modest, but sturdy building for a moment. It amazed her that some individuals trained in taking blood could construct something practical.
The building was abuzz with activity, men were moving things, installing walls and one wall was being coated with tar with its distinct smell filling the area.
Thick wooden planks were being fitted to the walls this time insulated with sawdust. It looked more like a wooden fortress than a mansion now.
The chest high wall surrounding the yard was being constructed, rough stones being lain and mortared to place, in some places the iron fence that was spiked on top of the wall had been installed as well, the new gate was finished, a black burnt linseed oil coating protecting the barely decorated iron pole gate. It’s primary decor was simplistic spearheads to add detail, but primarily to keep nosy people from climbing over it.
On the front the gate was only slightly more than a metre from the house itself, but Kiseo could see that there was a lot more space in the back.
Her mind returned to the task at hand. She gently rapped on the black bell hanging beside the gate, her figure stepped to the centre so anyone that answered could easily see her.
While most of the corps-men on the front had already seen her, none had stepped away from their work until she rang the bell.
From the oak wood door that was now the main door of the house stepped a corpsman with halberd and opened the gate outwards, letting Kiseo avoid the opening gate.
-”Kiseo, nice to see ya! Just go right in, Claus is in there somewhere.” He informed, letting Kiseo inside.
Kiseo’s throat let out a soft, audible purr. The sound rattled for several moments before she calmed it down then stepped cautiously inside. Her hands clasped together in front of her while she took in the interior’s decoration. The first sight was a large fire pit in the room’s center, the floor made of stone stretched to the wooden walls. Soot and smoke rose to the chimney where a pipe caught then guided it out.
Two men were tending to the slow roasting pig. It sizzled on an iron spit and was held up by two hooks, the men delicately turned it so often. It reminded her that she had forgotten to eat before she left. Ignoring her pain, she stepped farther into the spacious room.
Farther in, the other men continued to move about the pair. Their arms hoisted planks, various wood, furs, and even straw before they vanished down the hall. She assumed they were preparing the quarters for sleeping. Many residents in the city preferred beds raised off the cold floor. Tables sided the walls surrounding the pit, each lined with various candles and unlit torches for later tonight.
Her ears continued to track their movements while she conversed with Claus.
“Is there somewhere we could talk privately? It’s about Dyril,” Kiseo asked quietly.
Not having noticed her before she talked, Claus instinctively jumped but halted his action when he noticed the Mao.
-”Woah, could you not sneak up on me like that.” Claus was smiling broadly, but quickly noticed the marks of a Mao in distress. The drooped ears the most obvious.
-”Yes, let us go to my office.” He showed the way to a door with a sturdy handle on it and went inside, there only was a single chair and his desk properly placed in there, on the right hand wall loads of things like maps and journals were neatly piled.
Noticing the lack of furniture, Claus dragged out a chest for Kiseo and leaned on his desk arms crossed.
-”You said it was about Dyril?”
Kiseo could’ve easily sat on the floor and been comfortable, but she paused when she heard him pull out a chest. Lightly she lowered herself into a sitting posture onto it. She felt guilty for startling him earlier. She forgot how quiet she could be naturally as most fellow slaves were other mao or creatures used to it.
Her thoughts were interrupted by his concern for Dyril. She avoided his gaze, her voice revealed the reason for her urgency.
“A man, Jain Surya, approached me on the street. He wanted me to work for him on the side, I had skills he wanted. When I refused, he hinted that my mistress might become injured. I worry he might try to hurt her and I was hoping, you might keep an eye on her. I haven’t… told her yet,” Kiseo’s last statement was sheepish while she continued.
“Today, he visited the inn we were staying at. He’s holding her wares now. I delivered the payment to a worker who managed it directly, but Surya has no record of it. I fear he might’ve burned it in order to ruin her.”
Hearing this Claus was getting visibly annoyed. Some greedy buffoon was extorting his friend, he would have none of this.
With an unusually stern voice he spoke.
-”I see, I’d like to get my hands on that little...” He punched his own hand as a gesture, but realized his position he now held.
-”It seems I’ll have to speak to him, what can you tell me off him?“ Claus managed to calm himself and began to investigate his option.
“Not much, I’m afraid,” Kiseo admitted.
She took a moment to review his behavior, attitude, and interactions toward them. There was a stark difference between Dyril and herself. With Dyril, Kiseo sensed disgust and bitterness at Elves in general. It was obvious the man didn’t want to deal with Dyril at all. Kiseo’s impression of his interaction with her drastically took a farther turn. She felt he genuinely wanted to help, but that help soon turned into a desire to control and obtain her cooperation.
“I know during his interactions with Dyril, he doesn’t want to deal with her. He cringed when she accidently touched him and seemed to brush off her attempts to work with him,” she retold.
“I know he mentioned he worked for a William Flin, who left the city after the celebration a month ago. He mentioned it was recently he took over the operations. He seemed to back down, briefly, when I retrieve the parchment indicating that we had paid. It shows he’s smart at least not to push it.”
She took a breath, then curled her tail into her lap.
“I fear for Dyril’s safety and reputation. If he damages it here, she and I will be forced to return to the Imperium,” Kiseo didn’t feel she needed to note that eventually someone would discover Dyril was half elf, and would force the family to either kill or release her into a brothel.
Hybrids were ideal candidates since they were sterile, allowing hidden affairs to be kept pure.
Claus slammed his desk with his fist and spoke.
-”Well I’m not having it!” He went past her and spoke.
-”You are gonna tell me where this Jain fella is, and then I will talk with him… HARPER, GOYLE!!!” All of a sudden Claus just shouted out the door he opened, urgent footsteps came running as Claus went over to Kiseo.
-”Come on, we’ve got a missus to help.” He reached towards Kiseo with an open hand, offering to help her up.
Kiseo couldn’t help but flinch at Claus’ sudden reaction. Her semi humanoid ears pressed against her skull and turned downward, drooping defensively on impulse. After a moment, she righted herself once more back into a neutral stance. Seeing his hand, she couldn’t help the smile that crept over her muzzle and felt a relief he was aiming to help her.
“Is it too much trouble to ensure Dyril doesn’t know about this? I fear she would be upset I went to you first, instead of her. She’s a proud individual,” Kiseo requested quietly while she took the hand up.
The two troopers stood at the ready as Claus and Kiseo left his office.
-”You two, get your stuff, we’re heading out to talk with an asshole. Kiseo, show the way.” His voice was in his usual command mode, he told Roogel he was leaving before exiting the mansion through the door.
“I don’t know where he is exactly. First time he came to me and this last time, to Dyril. I assume we would have to start at the docks, but if I’m gone for too long my mistress will become worried,” Kiseo pointed out.
If she had known the information, she might’ve been able to approach him personally and put a stop to this whole ordeal.
Claus looked at Kiseo while standing in the door as she told him.
-”I see, well this Flin warehouse probably is the best bet. Don’t worry, I’ll handle this.” One of his telltale smirks on his lips as he closed the heavy door behind him.
Kiseo watched him leave as she departed for the Inn. She secretly hoped she hadn’t sent Dyril’s only friend into danger or further endangered her mistress.
***
The warehouse was filled with numerous strange smells and scents, but the various spices and herbs that William had brought over from Seikatsu overpowered them all. While William’s workers found the smell to be wholly unpleasant, Jain found it to be familiar and comforting. He was currently on the second floor of the warhouse, overlooking the workers on the floor below. He sat at a table and upon it were numerous reports from his spy network. In the weeks following the party Jain had spent most of his time hiring numerous street urchins and beggars to relay information back to him. While his spy network was still small it had proven to be invaluable in gathering information. Had it not been for them it would have taken him far longer to find Kiseo. Suddenly the door to the warehouse swung open as one of the watchmen; Issac, rushed into the building
“Jain”! He shouted “we have company, and they don’t look friendly”.
Having absolutely no regard for the feelings of people who were hurting their friend, and the same skill at stealth as a roaring thunderstorm, Claus and his two men Harper and Goyle marched along the streets taking away all eyes from the hooded mao they were following.
She stopped far away and just pointed at the warehouse silently giving Claus its number before she slinked into a shadow.
The trio marched up to the warehouse and knocked on the door violently with the butt of one of their halberds.
-”Open the door, i know you are in there Jain!” Claus boomed out, his voice impossible to miss even a few streets away.
“Shite” Jais mumbled as he quickly got up from his seat. He grabbed the blade from his sheath. He walked up to the wooden railing of the second floor so he could get a better look of the entrance. “Let him in”.
In response the numerous warehouse workers looked at him with confusion. “He’s not going to ask a second time and I would prefer not to have to explain to Captain Flinn why his door is broken in two”.
Hearing mumbling inside, Claus gave his men a glance each and waited a few moments more until they heard fumbling at the door.
Harper and Goyle measured a kick each and the doors flung open tossing the poor sod who was opening it out of the way with a loud whack and scrape against the floor.
With trained fluid motion the two corpsmen entered with halberds pointing like spears, mirroring each other as Claus simply marched in between and proudly stood flanked by his men, stomping a sturdy oaken staff into the ground.
-”Jain! Reliable sources have informed me you are making immoral businesses towards the people of Nyhem, what say you in your defence?” Claus booming voice carried well in the warehouse, he scanned for the one who was Jain and saw someone who looked like a match on the wooden railing.
“Who are you and what do you talk of. I am guilty of nothing”. Jain was of course lying, he knew exactly who he was and why he was here. He internally cursed at himself for underestimating Kiseo, it seemed either she or her mistress had more powerful friends then he first realized. As he spoke Jain put the scroll he had been reading into his coat pocket, trying to make sure Claus didn’t notice.
-”Me?! I am Claus Rotstein, i have reports of you scamming people out of their hard earned silvers. I am here to make you repay that and stop that in the future.” His voice strong and self assured. Jain’s goons were beginning to look a bit sceptical and one was checking on the guy who was knocked out by the door.
“So what do you plan to do with me, do you simply plan to seek compensation, or do you plan to imprison me as well”? Jain said, depending on how Claus answered would decide what his next move would be.
Claus stroked his chin pretending to think with a massive smirking grin on his face.
-”Considering how i feel i’d like to clobber your face in, but seeing how anal the law is in this city i think i’ll just drag you to the dungeon of Nyhem and have them deal with your unlawful ass. Don’t worry, I… won’t put you in the lower levels.” A massive grin on his face, implying someone was probably gonna torture him, but alas not Claus.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that” Jain said calmly as he slowly walked behind his desk “Issac” Jain called to which Issac, who had been tending to the passed out man looked up. “Give Captain Flinn my apologies but I will have to retire from his services. Oh and if you would, please also apologise for the damage caused”. Without a second of hesitation Jain raised his arms and shouted a spell. In response the second floor of the balcony exploded into thousands of tiny splinters. There was no fire but a shockwave went through the building causing the workers to fall backwards. Amongst the deafening noise could be heard the shattering of glass as Jain jumped out the window into the river that ran past the warehouse.
Claus and his men instinctively protected their faces against the splinters, Harper losing his balance from the force of impact.
-”What the shit? He’s a mage!?” Claus proclaimed with a surprised open question.
Completely caught unawares, Claus regained his posture for a second and then took Goyle’s shoulder and commanded.
-”He’s getting away, you two make sure these goons don’t get any funny ideas, take them into custody.” Goyle nodded a single sharp nod as Claus turned and ran after Jain.
He was slightly worried, that blast was powerful, usually it took two or three warmages to produce such force, but this guy had simply done it himself.
If it wasn’t for the fact he had scammed Dyril he’d have wanted to offer him a job in the Fist.
He was running outside to where the street with the window would be.
Unbeknownst to Claus, Jain had used illusion magic to camouflage himself into the river. There was no way Claus was going to see him given Jain had already floated a considerable distance away from the warehouse. The water itself was filthy and smelt so bad that it made Jain want to gag with only the fear of being discovered preventing him from doing so. One thing was now clear; he had been too soft on Kiseo and now he had to rectify that mistake.
Before long Claus realized he had lost his target, annoyed he returned to the warehouse to see to his men and take his prisoners to the palace.
He didn’t think they were in on Jain’s plans, but they might know something, and it’s good to spook some folks from time to time to show that one means business.
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